Family Recipe File

It's like your mom's recipe index card box, but digital.

Category: Family Favorites

  • Zucchini Bread

    Description
    A big-batch zucchini bread that works well for standard or mini loaves.

    Ingredients

    • 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
    • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 2 teaspoons baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 3 cups sugar
    • 1 cup vegetable oil
    • 4 eggs, beaten
    • 1/3 cup water
    • 2 cups grated zucchini
    • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
    • 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
    2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon, and sugar.
    3. In a separate bowl, mix the oil, eggs, water, zucchini, and lemon juice.
    4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then fold in the nuts.
    5. Pour into 2 standard loaf pans or 5 mini loaf pans sprayed with nonstick spray.
    6. Bake 1 hour for standard loaves or about 45 minutes for mini loaves, until a tester comes out clean.

  • Banana Bread

    Description
    An old-school banana bread recipe that makes two loaves and uses up very ripe bananas.

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups sugar
    • 1 cup Crisco
    • 6 ripe bananas, mashed
    • 4 eggs
    • 2 1/2 cups flour
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1/2 teaspoon cloves
    • 2 teaspoons baking soda

    Instructions

    1. Mix all ingredients together until combined.
    2. Pour into a greased tube pan or 2 loaf pans.
    3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until done in the center.

    Notes

    • The original note says this makes 2 loaves.
    • Very ripe bananas give the best flavor.

  • Pizza Dip

    Description
    A quick, cheesy pizza-style dip built from a handful of simple ingredients.

    Ingredients

    • Pepperoni
    • Pizza sauce
    • Cooked sausage
    • Mozzarella cheese
    • Half-and-half

    Instructions

    1. Combine the pepperoni, sausage, pizza sauce, and a splash of half-and-half in a saucepan.
    2. Cook until hot.
    3. Reduce the heat to low and stir in mozzarella until melted.
    4. Serve warm with fried pizza dough or flatbread chips.

    Notes

    • The original note does not list exact amounts, so this one is best adjusted to taste.
    • A little half-and-half goes a long way.

  • Salsa

    Description
    Restaurant-style blender salsa with Rotel, tomatoes, cilantro, and lime.

    Ingredients

    • Two 10-ounce cans Rotel
    • One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes with juice
    • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
    • 1/4 cup chopped onion
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • 1 whole jalapeno
    • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
    • Juice of 1/2 lime

    Instructions

    1. Add the Rotel, whole tomatoes, cilantro, onion, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, salt, sugar, and lime juice to a food processor.
    2. Pulse until the salsa reaches your preferred consistency.
    3. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

    Notes

    • The original note recommends about 10 to 15 pulses.
    • Chill time helps the flavors come together.

  • Spinach and Artichoke Dip

    Description
    Creamy spinach and artichoke dip from the family stash. Good with flatbread chips or crackers.

    Ingredients

    • 8 ounces cream cheese
    • 12 ounces frozen spinach, thawed
    • 14 ounces artichoke hearts
    • Salt, to taste
    • Black pepper, to taste
    • Half-and-half, as needed to loosen
    • Mozzarella cheese, to taste
    • Parmesan cheese, to taste

    Instructions

    1. Thaw the spinach and squeeze out excess liquid if needed.
    2. Combine the cream cheese and a splash of half-and-half in a saucepan over medium-low heat until smooth.
    3. Add the spinach and artichoke hearts.
    4. Stir in mozzarella and Parmesan until melted and well combined.
    5. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.

    Notes

    • The original note keeps the cheese amounts flexible, so adjust to taste.
    • Medium-low heat helps keep the dip smooth.

  • Frosted Meatloaf

    This recipe comes from America’s Test Kitchen and can be found here.

    If you think “frosting” is just for cake, think again. This homey, World War II–era dish coats traditional meatloaf with a layer of mashed potatoes before baking. Making a free-form meatloaf instead of using a loaf pan allowed us to easily cover the top and sides of the loaf. We found that we had to bake the meatloaf before applying the mash, and to keep the mash from sliding off, we broil the meatloaf twice: first naked to create a crust and then coated with a tangy glaze for flavor. After we frost the loaf, a final stint under the broiler turns the fluffy crown of potatoes beautifully brown.

    Before you begin: If you don’t have a ricer or a food mill, just mash the potatoes thoroughly.

      Ingredients

      • 1/4 cup ketchup
      • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar (packed)
      • 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
      • 1/2 teaspoon hotsauce
      • 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter
      • 1 onion, finely chopped
      • 3 cloves garlic, mince
      • 17 square or 19 round saltine crackers
      • 1 cup milk
      • 1 pound ground pork
      • 2 eggs
      • 1/3 cup parsley
      • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
      • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
      • salt
      • black pepper
      • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
      • 1 pound ground beef
      • 2 pounds russet potatoes

      Directions

      1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat broiler. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, set wire rack in sheet, and place 14 by 6-inch piece of foil in center of rack. Whisk ketchup, sugar, vinegar, and hot sauce together in bowl; set aside glaze.
      2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until just softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Set aside off heat.
      3. Combine saltines and 1/3 cup milk in large bowl and mash with fork until chunky paste forms. Add pork, eggs and yolk, parsley, mustard, Worcestershire, 1 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper, thyme, and onion mixture and knead with your hands until mostly combined. Add beef and knead until combined.
      4. Transfer meat mixture to foil rectangle on wire rack and form into 9 by 6-inch loaf. Broil on upper-middle oven rack until well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Brush glaze over top and sides of meatloaf, return to upper-middle rack, and broil until glaze begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Move meatloaf to lower-middle oven rack, adjust oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake until meatloaf registers 160 degrees, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven.
      5. Meanwhile, bring potatoes and 2 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes; drain potatoes thoroughly in colander. Set ricer or food mill over now-empty pot and press or mill potatoes into pot. Stir 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 6 tablespoons butter, and remaining 2/3 cup milk into potatoes until combined.
      6. Using offset spatula, spread mashed potatoes evenly over top and sides of meatloaf. Heat broiler and return meatloaf to lower-middle oven rack. Broil until potatoes are browned, about 15 minutes. Using foil as sling, transfer meatloaf to carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Slice and serve.